Metal casting, such as investment casting, involves feeding a molten metallic material from a pour cup through one or more sprues to fill one or more mold cavities. For directionally solidified castings, the mold is then slowly withdrawn from a heating unit to solidify the metallic material from the bottom of the mold. A grain starter block is arranged at the bottom of the mold to solidify the molten metallic material with a preferred grain orientation. As the molten metallic material cools, a solidification front moves from the bottom toward the top of the mold. The mold is then removed, leaving a cast metallic work piece. The sprues and excess gating are then cut off of the component.